Printers of the type to which this invention pertains have many applications and uses. They may be used as part of a point-of-sale terminal and, in this application, are used to print receipts, etc. Printers of this type may also be used to generate labels on which alphanumeric characters or symbology, i.e., bar codes are printed.
These types of printers often utilize thermal print technology to print indicia on print medium. Thermal printing involves a thermal printhead which uses heating elements to produce localized heating on thermal reactive print medium to produce indicia on the print media. In order to effect the printing process, the print medium must be clamped between a platen and the thermal printhead.
At least some of these printers utilize a rotary cutter to severe the printed, media portion from the media supply. In order to facilitate threading of the print media, it is desirable that the cutter components separate. However, in order for a rotary cutter mechanism to function properly, the components, i.e., the rotary cutter and stationary blade must be maintained in predetermined alignment. This has proved to be difficult in the past when one of the two components is mounted to a subframe that rotates to an open position. If the alignment between the rotary cutter and stationary blade is disturbed as a result of opening and closing the printer, a service call or readjustment is required.